Mind-Blowing Facts, Anti-Goals, & More

The Friday Five: Episode LIII

May 13, 2022

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Today at a Glance:

Quote: Change from within.
Framework: The power of anti-goals.
Tweet: The most mind-blowing facts.
Article: A few thought-provoking beliefs.
Podcast: The “refounder” mindset.

One Quote:

“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” - Rumi

You can’t change the world until you change yourself.

Start inward, expand outward.

(Share this on Twitter!)

One Framework:

Anti-Goals

A few months ago, I came across the concept of “anti-goals” from my friend and upcoming podcast guest Andrew Wilkinson. It has quickly assumed a position in my toolkit as a core framework when I evaluate new projects and attempt to design my life.

The concept is grounded in inversion—a foundational mental model that says that complex problems are often easier solved backwards vs. forwards.

“All I want to know is where I’m going to die, so I’ll never go there." - Charlie Munger

With traditional goals, we try to determine the optimal outcome and create goals around it. With anti-goals, we invert this process.

Here’s the generalized version:

Start by asking a few questions and writing down the responses. What does the worst possible outcome look like? What actions and systems would lead to that worst possible outcome?
Then work backwards to establish “anti-goals” that will allow you to avoid those actions, systems, and outcomes.

Let’s look at a simple example to bring it to life: I want to design a new health and fitness program for my life…

What does the worst possible outcome look like?
- Constantly stressing about what workouts to do.
- Constantly stressing about what foods to eat.
- Working out for 2 hours per day when I want to spend time with my family and friends. Letting it consume my entire life.
What actions or systems would lead to that worst possible outcome?
- Trying to do everything myself. Managing my own research on workouts and food.
- Trying to write, track, and manage my own workout and diet plan.
- Not scheduling fixed times for workouts.
Establish “anti-goals” that will allow me to avoid the above.
- Never think about workouts. I will hire a trainer (physical or remote) to write workout programs.
- Never think about diet. I will buy pre-prepared healthy meals from a meal prep company to manage diet consistently.
- Never let workouts consume my life. I will schedule 1 hour blocks at the same time every morning that is my workout window. Beyond that, I won’t think about working out and will be present with family and friends.

By inverting the problem, we’re able to back into a set of actions that create the positive, desired results (and avoid the negative ones).

This is something I use frequently, so I’ll plan to write a deeper piece on this on Twitter and in the newsletter in the weeks ahead.

One Tweet:

Tim Urban @waitbutwhy

What’s your favorite mindblowing fact?

Tim Urban—this week’s podcast guest—has a way of asking questions that spark fascinating ideas and discourse. This tweet led me down at least 10 rabbit holes as I read through the responses…

Here were my favorites:

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft passed Pluto in 2015 within one minute of what it predicted when it launched in 2006. Three billion miles, 99.99998% accurate.
We have 3 trillion trees on earth and 2 trillion galaxies in the observable universe. So every time you see three trees, they represent two observable galaxies.
If you folded a piece of paper 42 times, it would be thick enough to reach the moon.
If you cut the Earth into one-meter sided cubes and arrange them in a line, it stretches the entire length of the Milky Way.
If you shrink the earth to the size of a cueball, it will be smoother than the cueball. Earth’s diameter is ~8K mi. Everest is about 6 mi above sea level and deepest part of the ocean is about 7 mi deep. Both less than 1/1000 of the diameter. Pool ball diameter is 5.7 cm. So any bumps or pits on pool ball Earth would be <57 microns (less than the width of human hair).

This type of stuff is what makes Twitter an amazing platform. I love seeing it used this way!

One Article:

Morgan Housel - A Few Beliefs

All of Morgan’s writing is on my “drop everything and read immediately” list, but I enjoyed this piece more than most.

It’s a compilation of tweet-sized ideas, beliefs, and wisdom—all of which forced me to think deeply. One of his shortest pieces by word count, but one of his longest pieces in terms of the time it took me to digest.

My suggested consumption:

Grab a coffee on Saturday or Sunday morning.
Read each one (slowly!).
Write down the ~4-5 that impacted you most deeply.
Go for a walk without any technology and think about those 4-5.

I’d love to hear your takeaways. Tag me on Twitter or comment below.

P.S. This piece pairs well with my recent podcast discussion with Morgan! Watch it on YouTube and listen to it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!

One Podcast:

Masters of Scale: The Refounder Mindset

This was an insight-rich short episode on the semi-controversial idea that legacy company transformations can be executed from within.

Common organizational wisdom has always said that big legacy transformations required an outside force—often a great leader with fresh eyes—to enter and create change. Bill Ford, the executive chairman of Ford Motor Company and great-grandson of founder Henry Ford, is defying that wisdom.

It’s an interesting listen and worth your time. Part II is coming out soon.

Listen to it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Where It Happens Podcast

Are With Alone In The Universe? (with Tim Urban)

Watch it on YouTube and listen to it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

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